Sequels seem to be the mantra these days not only in Hollywood, but in Bollywood too with one releasing every few weeks. No sooner does a film witness heavy footfalls in a theatre, then a sequel is announced right away. In fact in some cases like the recently released Sanjay Dutt-starrer comedy a third installment was announced in the ending credit of the film itself. And when it comes to leading the Bolly pack, seems like actor Salman Khan’s not just topping the list when it comes to starring in the most South remakes.

In fact, the actor also happens to be leading the score when it comes to doing the maximum sequels with as many as five of them in the coming months. While sequels of Dabangg, Partner, Wanted and No Entry are already in the pipeline, the sequel of Tere Naam has been in the offing too. Actors Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan on the other hand, have one each with Don 2, Housefull 2 and Krissh 2. However there’s buzz of there being a sequel to SRK’s Swades as well. Akshay will also be starring in the sequel of Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, though he was not a part of the original. Actor Abhishek Bachchan has the sequel of Dostana in hand and also the third installment of Dhoom. Actor Sanjay Dutt is readying for the third installments of both Munnabhai and Dhamaal, while actor Ajay Devgn has the fourth installment of Golmaal under belt. Actor Saif Ali Khan has Race 2, Sunny Deol is working on Ghayal 2 and Emraan Hashmi has Raaz 3 and Murder 2.

Trade analyst Komal Nahta insists that creating a franchisee based on the success of a film has proven to be a safe bet at the BO. “Comedies, superhero thrillers and action flicks lend themselves more easily. A star’s viability at the BO has as much to do with the film’s success for a sequel,” he says. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh adds that in this, Salman clearly is way ahead. “He is the reigning star at the moment and all his superhit films are the kinds that leave scope for sequels, so the filmmakers will obviously cash in on both the success of the film and the star,” he explains. “Ra.One also is looking promising to be considered as a franchisee and so is Singham,” says a leading distributor, adding that there’s no denying that at the moment, any sequel with Salman too will be a viable project for sure. “Salman’s definitely on almost everyone’s mind,” he says.